DLancer7676
New member
My friend and I bought a used 1974 50 hp. Merc. I would start and run fine for a while, then would start and only idle--any attempt to speed the boat up would kill the engine. We took it to a local boat mechanic who replaced the starter (good used starter) and rebuilt the water pump, checked the carbs and settings. He said when he tested the running voltage output that it was overcharging, putting out 17 volts. He thought that might be the reason for our trouble. He said he didn't have the equipment to test the voltage regulator and referred me to a mechanic who he thought could test the regulator and may have a good used one if it was defective. Any thoughts from those who know anything about this problem? Thanks for any response.